Regis Le Bris names the one thing that could derail Sunderland's promotion push | OneFootball

Despite a strong start to the season, Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris has urged his players not to become complacent

It has been a remarkable start to the season for Sunderland, who after 12 games of the campaign sit pretty with a five point cushion at the Championship summit.

Amassing 28 points so far, Regis Le Bris couldn't have asked for a much better start to life in the North East, with the Black Cats' latest win coming against Oxford United on Saturday.

Excitement at the Stadium of Light is reaching a crescendo that a return to the Premier League for the first time since the 2017/18 campaign could be on the cards, and few would forgive the long-suffering fans from enjoying their new-found optimism.

But Sunderland fans will need no reminding that they're only 12 games into a long, hard 46 game season, and they know just how quickly the picture can change.

Despite this being his first season in England, Le Bris himself will be all too aware of that, but with top-flight managerial experience under his belt in France, he'll feel he has the tools to manage the situation.

It was two 'C' words Le Bris used after the Oxford victory that resonated with the Sunderland fans, particularly as one of them has been something they've struggled with down the years.

The first of those is consistency, with Le Bris delighted with the Oxford win which capped off a perfect week for his side.

"We needed to stay consistent until the end. The players did well," he told the BBC.

"We are learning from previous experiences and today was clear, we are dominant and at the end we deserved to win."

There's perhaps no better way to showcase how consistent you are in the Championship than winning three games in a week, so it looks like Le Bris has that one firmly under control, but it was the other 'C' word which he has a little less control over.

The French boss has fired a warning at his side not to become complacent despite their cushion at the top.

Sunderland to travel to QPR next - a side who have just taken points off their nearest promotion rivals Burnley - and Le Bris said: “This league is so difficult. If we become complacent, the outcome is very clear. We deserved these three wins and now it’s a new game and a new challenge for us.”

Sunderland have got it right at both ends of the pitch

Sunderland's players could probably be forgiven for becoming a little complacent, as so far this season, they've done nearly everything right.

They've averaged an impressive 1.9 goals per game in the Championship - a tally among the league's best - while their seven clean sheets this term is second only to Sheffield United's eight, so they have the perfect mix of goals and defensive resilience.

Home form has certainly played a huge part in their success, with Sunderland winning five of their six league games at the Stadium of Light this season, with all five wins coming without opposition reply.

Le Bris will know if he can keep that home form going, then the adoring Sunderland faithful will fill the stadium before long, and he'll know that could make all the difference in their promotion push.

They certainly reaped the benefit of that on Saturday when a crowd of over 40,000 cheered them on - an eye-wateringly big crowd for the second tier.

After being embroiled in an unsuccessful relegation battle with Lorient last season, Le Bris has the fire within to prove his worth as a manager - something he has so far done in the North East - and his rallying cry against complacency again shows his worth as an experienced boss.